Total Recall
by BlueScorpion
Summary: Chapter 4 added [SLASH (JD)] A strange ruin attracts SG-1 to an alien planet that is seemingly deserted. As a vicious storm approaches, Daniel learns first hand just what has happened to the population of the planet.
1. Deserted

Title: Total Recall

Author: BlueScorpion

Rating: PG-13

Summary: [SLASH J/D] A strange ruin attracts SG-1 to an alien planet that is seemingly deserted, but not all is as it seems, as Daniel leans first hand on closer inspection.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine. They're someone else's.

A/N: This is slash, so if you don't like that please don't read it. On the other hand, if you do read it please review.

Hot, breathy kisses travelled down his neck and across his shoulders. He arched his neck at the pleasure, before pulling himself back to reality. "Jack?" The older man ignored him, thoroughly engrossed in playfully nipping at Daniel's skin. Daniel bit his own lip, "Jack?"

"Mm?" Jack mumbled in response, before continuing on his path. Daniel looked up at the clock on the wall over Jack's shoulder.

"Jack," Daniel began, "we have a mission in six hours and I really need to go to bed."

Jack raised his head and smiled at him, "You read my mind."

"You know what I mean." He warned. Jack could be so forward sometimes. In a way he was thankful. If it weren't for Jack making the first move he would still be alone. It had taken a lot for Daniel to admit his feelings for Jack. Daniel didn't like to think of himself as being homosexual, rather bisexual - not that he had anything against gays - but he didn't want to think that he had never truly loved Sha're - because he had. No, the problem with Jack was his eagerness. Daniel couldn't quite remember how he had lost his shirt, or how he had managed to be pinned against the door with Jack's mouth exploring his neck.

"Come on, Daniel, you know you want to."

"Jack, I'm tired and I need sleep-" he was silenced by Jack lowering his head and covering Daniel's mouth with his own, Jack's hands running through Daniel's hair and pulling his head closer still. Daniel felt himself moving and before he knew it, he was led on the couch with Jack beneath him him, both of them naked. Jack pulled Daniel down on top of him. Daniel knew he was tired, and that he would pay for this in the morning, but Jack had taken him too far. It was only fair to pay back.

*****

"Ow! Shit! Jack wake up!" Daniel shifted his weight, accidentally causing Jack to land with a _thud_ on the floor. He woke up immediately with a yell at the impact.

"God, Daniel, what the hell was that for?"

Daniel cringed, "Ah, sorry. We got ten minutes to get to the base and you were crushing my leg. Sorry."

Jack laughed into the carpet. "Relax, Daniel. The clock's wrong."

"What?"

"Clocks went back an hour last night," he laughed again as he got up, "I'm surprised you didn't remember!"

Daniel gave him a confused look before he realised. "Oh…yeah."

Jack shrugged, "Got an extra hour out of you didn't it?" he leaned over Daniel and kissed him on the lips before pulling away, "better get some clothes on." He stood up, picked up his clothes and left the room, leaving a bewildered look on Daniel's face.

*****

Daniel walked into the pre-mission briefing with moments to spare; even with the extra hour's "sleep", he still managed to be on the last minute. He unconsciously checked that he was actually wearing clothes and took his place by the screen. Teal'c, sat in silence in his seat, regarded Jack with a questioningly raised eyebrow as he entered the room. Jack gave a shifty smile at the Jaffa and took his own seat.

"Good morning, people," Hammond greeted SG-1 as he entered the room, scanning over a file in his hands. "I trust you all had a good rest last night."

Sam suppressed a grin at her superior's warning glare and looked back to Daniel.

"Doctor Jackson?" Hammond prompted, oblivious to the team's source of amusement. Daniel just about managed to avoid a blush and flicked the screen on. The display showed a large, stone column, covered in alien scripture. "This artefact was discovered by SG-9 in the middle of a deserted area of P4X 429 on a mission last week." Daniel began, "I haven't been able to translate the writing yet, but there's a possibility that this is a device used to fight the Goa'uld." He looked around the table. Hammond was already informed from SG-9's mission report, Jack, for the most part, hadn't been listening, but knew too well why Daniel hadn't translated the writings, even though he was perfectly capable of it: Jack simply hadn't given him any chance. He sat staring a Daniel, the slightest hint of a smile playing at his lips. Sam looked confused and Teal'c just looked… Teal'c-ish. 

"How can you tell?" Sam questioned. Daniel flicked up a split-screen image of a section of the Abydos cartouche and the address of the planet. "P4X 429 is a planet listed on the cartouche, so the chances are that the Goa'uld have been there. The strange thing is, there's no evidence of destruction." A picture of the area appeared on the screen. Several makeshift "houses", some of which had collapsed over time, were surrounded by basic cooking and cleaning utensils that looked as though they hadn't been used in years.

"What happened?" Jack asked, finally paying attention. Daniel switched the screen off. "That's what I wanna find out. It seems that no one has been around here for over three hundred years." Hammond stood and Daniel took his seat opposite Jack.

"Thank you Doctor Jackson." Hammond turned to the whole of SG-1. "Colonel O'Neill, I want you to take your team to examine this artefact further and find out if it would be any use to us. Hopefully it will be able to tell us why this whole population has disappeared without a trace. You leave in one hour."

Jack nodded and led his team to prepare for the mission.

"Jack, why do you have to keep doing that?" Daniel asked in an aggravated voice when the others were out of earshot.

"Do what?" Jack asked innocently, with a smirk.

"You know what I'm talking about. Not paying any attention to me when I'm doing a briefing, then—"

"I was paying attention!" Jack argued. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "I was just thinking about what I'm gonna do to you when we get back from this mission."

That shut Daniel up. He stood, speechless, for a second before following Jack down the corridor.

*****

Almost one hour later, SG1 stood in the 'gate room, waiting for the go-ahead from Hammond. The 'gate began to spin, encoding and locking chevrons for the planet, and the wormhole engaged. Jack allowed himself a smile, still proud of the fact that he had no idea how that thing worked, but happy in the knowledge that at lease _someone_ in his team knew.

"SG-1, you have a go," Hammond announced over Jack's musings, "good luck."

Jack smirked and followed his team up the ever-familiar ramp to the 'gate. He patted Daniel on the back.

"Brains before beauty."

"Sometimes I don't know why I put up with you," Daniel muttered. Jack smiled and pushed Daniel through the event horizon, before stepping through himself, a smirk covering his features.


	2. The Storm Approaches

A/N: I've posted this but I don't think anyone is reading. If no one reviews this I'll not write any more because there's no point. If you do read it please review.

The area immediately on the other side of the Stargate was deserted. Although Jack had known this before he set out on the mission, it left him with a certain uneasiness; the place was eerie, and something didn't seem right. He shook it off and led his team along the sandy path. With the lack of any kind of human activity for so long, vegetation had thrived on the planet, and covered most of the area around the Stargate. Some had been flattened the previous week from SG-9's mission, but was now regaining life and growing straight again.

The planet had a relatively similar atmosphere to that of Earth; currently it was the equivalent of an August day: cloudless sky, humid air, and the heat from two suns – the only obvious difference from Earth - beating down on the sand that rooted most of the plants.

Daniel was presently leading the way; having been on the mission with SG-9 the previous week, he was familiar with the area and knew the way to the ruins. He hadn't had much chance to study the artefact in detail up close, so now he was doubly excited to get there quickly. Sam kept up with Daniel's pace, but Jack dropped back and fell into step with Teal'c. He stood, watching the Jaffa for a moment.

"Teal'c?" he asked, noting the alien's wary features.

"I am uncertain." Teal'c stated simply, scanning the region.

"You feel it, too…? Ghosts?"

"Jaffa do not believe in such things."

"Right. You mentioned that before..." Jack said, following Teal'c's line of sight. "Come on," he continued, starting on the route to catch up with Daniel and Sam.

The same strange feeling stayed with Jack as he reached the ruins; something just wasn't right. Daniel was already at the artefact, tracing the lettering with his fingers, trying to make sense of it. Jack turned to Teal'c, always keeping one eye on Daniel. "Teal'c, I want you to take a look around, see if we're just being paranoid." Teal'c nodded and carried his staff away from Jack, glancing around before setting off to scout the area. "Carter—"

"You want me to check the soil for anything SG-9 may have missed." She smiled.

Jack smiled, "Exactly."

Sam set off to an area East of the ruins, where more ground was bare than anywhere else was, the rest being covered in the green vegetation of the planet.

Satisfied that the rest of his team was busy, Jack walked into the village, at the centre of which was the artefact, where Daniel was.

"It's incredible," Daniel marvelled, without turning around, "the writings aren't just in the one language; each face of the column has been translated into four different dialects."

__

Thrilling, Jack thought, rolling his eyes. He sighed and kneeled behind Daniel, looking over his shoulder.

"Having fun?" Jack asked, a smile on his face, trying to look interested.

"Hmm?" Daniel asked, not paying attention.

Jack was beginning to get bored. He put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and moved it slowly to the back of his neck; Daniel didn't seem to notice anything, until Jack started running a finger up and down the back of Daniel's neck. That seemed to divert his attention for a moment, and Jack was happy.

"Jack…" Daniel warned, suddenly remembering what he was supposed to be doing, "This is the reason I'm so behind in my work."

Jack rested his chin on Daniel's shoulder and tilted Daniel's head towards him. "Are you complaining?" Jack asked, sad eyes focussed on Daniel's own.

"Yes." Daniel answered coldly, and immediately regretted it. He kept his mouth shut and looked up at Jack as the older man stood up. Daniel bit down on his lip and turned back to the ruin, avoiding the look he knew Jack would be giving him right now. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack begin to walk away and heard his voice talking to Sam over the radio. Jack's voice faded and Daniel looked up to find himself alone with the ruin. He tried his best to clear the incident from his mind and concentrate on the alien writings. He ran his fingers across a passage; the language seemed familiar to him on this side, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He put his lack of concentration down to Jack – again – and blinked hard; there were times Jack pushed Daniel just that extra bit too hard. Daniel focussed on a single section of the writing and tried his best to translate it.

The writings suddenly altered, changed into a new passage, and Daniel stared in stunned silence. He reached for his radio to tell the others, but his hand fell to his side and he was mesmerised by the constantly shifting lettering. A sudden shock pulsed through his body and the lettering disappeared, replaced by a sudden snapshot of the sky, then by a thick blanket of darkness.

"Find anything?" Jack asked. Teal'c was stood on the path they had made on the way to the ruin.

"I have not." He replied. For a Jaffa, his statement seemed strangely disappointed, though Jack knew that was almost impossible. Teal'c's eyes lifted to the sky. "O'Neill!" Jack joined Teal'c's look. The once clear sky was quickly becoming covered with ominous-looking cloud and it was clear that a major thunderstorm was approaching.

"Right, we're outta here." Jack announced. He turned and spoke into his radio. "Carter, Daniel, we're going back to Earth. I don't like the look of this."

"On my way, sir." Came the reply from Sam.

"Daniel? You coming?" Jack asked sarcastically. He waited but no answer came. Suddenly Jack felt something was wrong. He knew Daniel could be stubborn, but never off-world. "Daniel?" he tried again. He felt his hand clench as all he heard was the silence. "Carter, meet us at the ruin, Daniel's not responding."

Jack cast a glance at the sky. The whole atmosphere seemed darker and cooler now, the cloud cover having blocked out most of the heat and light from both suns. Jack set off running towards the ruin, Teal'c following closely behind him.

As they approached the ruin, a fierce bolt of lightning struck down, sending the housing walls crumbling down to the ground, and blocking off any chance of getting to the ruin. Sam ran up to join them and stared at the pile of rubble, her eyes wide. Jack looked up to the sky again. The storm was getting worse; lightning was striking the ground at random points, as far as they could see. He looked back at the ruins and realised why relationships within the military were against regulations. He swallowed hard, realising there was no way through the rubble without endangering the rest of his team. "Alright, get back to the 'gate," Jack ordered, "We'll have to find a way in once the storm has passed."


	3. Clear Skies Ahead?

A feeling of intense worry filled Jack as the 'gate shut down once the team - well, three quarters of it at least - was safely back to Earth. Jack stared over his shoulder the inactive ring with a mixture of anger and anxiety as he thought of Daniel, still on the other side, not knowing if he was dead or alive.

"…Jackson?"

Jack turned around to realise that Hammond was addressing him. Jack looked at Sam and Teal'c briefly and took a breath. "We've gotta go back, sir."

"What happened?"

"There was a storm, sir," Sam took over, sensing Jack's upset state that he was clearly trying to hide, "the walls by the ruin Daniel was examining were destroyed."

"It was too dangerous for us to attempt as rescue at the time," Jack explained quickly, his voice almost stern, "we have to go back." He walked down the ramp to join the others.

"The storm would make a rescue attempt much too hazardous at this time, General Hammond." Jack turned a glare on Teal'c at his contribution, but the Jaffa didn't seem to notice. Hammond nodded in an understanding.

"We'll send a MALP through to see if the storm has calmed. Then we'll judge whether a rescue is safe enough." He signalled to an SF who quickly left the room to prepare a MALP "At the moment, I'd like more details: Briefing room in ten minutes." Hammond quickly left the room, leaving SG-1 to disarm and freshen up. Jack led the way out of the 'gate room, his face a stone glare, and each footstep falling heavily.

*****

Five MALP communications later, and the rescue mission was still on hold. Jack sat in his usual place at the briefing table, for the third time since his team's return, with his head in his hands. He stared down at the table and waited for news of the sixth attempt. He had decided not to watch the footage for himself this time. He had seen it all before, and deep down he knew that this time would be no different. Still, he held hope. 

Teal'c was his usual calm self, though at this moment he felt a sort of loss. He sat still, his hands clasped in front of him, resting on the table. He looked at nothing in particular.

Sam sat opposite Jack, watching him intently. She had learned from past experience not to disturb him when he was like this. He was well trained not to let his feelings get in the way of his assignments but, as Sam well knew, this was very different. She turned on hearing the sound of footsteps on metal, as Hammond made his way up the stairs. Sam knew straight away what he was going to say. She could tell from the General's face.

"Still not good news I'm afraid."

Jack felt his fist bang down hard on the table, attracting looks from everyone in the room. He let out a heavy, frustrated sigh before standing, and walking silently out of the room.

*****

Daniel's eyes flickered open. He slowly focussed through a large crack on the left lens of his glasses and shuffled to sit up. He took a look around, as if seeing the area for the first time. All around him were the rocks of what were once beautifully decorated walls. There was no rubble around him - as though it had somehow avoided him. The only structure still standing was a large pillar in front of him, covered in markings. He ignored it and slowly stood up, brushing himself down. He looked up into a clear blue sky and then around him again. Failing to come up with any explanation of what had gone on, he began to pick his way through the rubble, stumbling at odd points along the way, before he finally stood on a patch of grass to the East of the ruins, which was free of any form of destruction. He could see no one anywhere around, so he began to walk along a makeshift path, clearly made by travel through the grass, though of who or what, he had no idea.

In the distance he heard a sudden noise, and he turned around to see a massive circle of shining blue water in the distance. He turned on his heel and ran in the direction of the forest, as fast as his legs would carry him. Soon after, voices began to speak to him. He looked down at the black box in his upper pocket and pulled it out. "Daniel?" it said, "Do you read?" A look - a mixture of shock and fear - broke across Daniel's face. He threw the box on the floor, and continued running.

*****

From his hiding spot in the woods, he could faintly see three figures walking towards the pile of rubble he had come from. He wondered what they were doing, and watched them intently. One figure seemed to turn in his direction, and he instinctively ducked behind a large rock. After a minute or so, he peered back towards the rubble. The figures were walking towards him. He pushed himself up and ran again. The line across his vision from the broken glass was beginning to annoy him, so he pulled it away from his eyes, and threw it down, covering it with leaves. He looked up to see blurs of green and brown, and continued running towards them.

He stopped, out of breath, almost on the other side of the forest. He didn't know how long he had been running for; it seemed like hours. The figures were no longer following him, and he relaxed, sitting for several minutes before anything else disturbed him.

*****

"He's gone, sir."

"Gone?" Hammond asked, "Gone where? Another planet?"

"We don't think so," Sam said, "We found his glasses and his radio, but there was no sign of him."

"It would appear he had travelled into the forest, General Hammond," Teal'c put in.

Jack, the only person actually sat down in the briefing room, looked up. "There's no reason for him to go to another planet. He's still there somewhere. Recommend we send a UAV to search the area, sir."

Hammond nodded. "We'll send one within the hour. For now, I want you all to relax while we--"

Jack stood up "With all due respect sir, I _can't_ relax! A member of my team is out there, and we don't know if he's dead or alive!" his voice had risen to a shout, but Hammond wasn't put off.

"And, at the moment, there's nothing we can do until we send a UAV."

"We're not doing _enough_!"

Hammond's voice rose to join Jack's level. "It's all we _can_ do, Colonel."

"Jack stood, forcefully, ignoring Hammond's rank pulling.

"We have a man out there, General: a man valuable to this team, this project and this planet. I won't stand here and do nothing while he's out there in who knows what state!"

Hammond's voice became sterner as he began to speak. "I'm relieving you, colonel. You're clearly not fit to perform your duty. I want you to go home and come back when you've calmed down." Hammond turned and left the room before Jack had a chance to retort. Jack banged his fist down on the table and stormed out of the room, leaving Teal'c and Sam to exchange raised eyebrows and uncomfortable looks.


	4. The Search

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I've just got the Word software that we ordered in September (it only took 5 months!!) so I'm back writing now. I do have a lot of college work to do, however, and I'm sure you understand that this is my top priority. Despite this I will try to post on this story as often as I can. Thanks for you patience.

Colonel Ryu Gaia – Thanks for the review. This story originally started as a slash PWP, before I had the urge to make it into a story with a plot. That's pretty much the only reason that the pairing is Jack/Daniel. And to answer your question: Total Recall was the first name that came into my head while I was being my usual impatient self and wanted to post this story. However it does have a link to the story, which hopefully should become more evident as the story goes on. I haven't actually seen the film myself, and I'm hoping not to get sued for pinching the name :) 

Anyway, onward….

* * *

A distant buzzing sound broke through Daniel's attempt to sleep and he froze in a sudden rush of paranoia. He stood cautiously and glanced around his immediate surroundings. The sound had gone. He stood, staring at the sky for a moment before the noise began again, and he spotted the source: an object flying directly overhead. A sudden wave of panic that had taken over him before suddenly resurfaced and he broke into a run, covering metre after metre of forest in sheer panic. The sound followed him mercilessly and he took a last glance round over his shoulder before he lost his footing and fell.

*****

"We've found what we think is Doctor Jackson but at present we can't be sure," Hammond informed what now remained of SG-1, "if it is him, he's not moving and may require medical attention. I want you to take Doctor Frasier and cover the area. Good luck."

Nods were exchanged and Sam led the team through to the gate room. Nothing was said; nothing needed to be said. All three knew what was at stake, and they all wanted Daniel back as soon as possible, preferably alive.

*****

Sam was getting sick of the sight of this planet. Nothing ever changed. It was always the same: desolate, abandoned, and very, very green. After spending so long on the same team as Jack O'Neill she began to feel his strange hate for trees creeping though her. She shook it off and focussed on more important matters: Daniel. The UAV had detected what could be him at the bottom of a deep ravine - a position the both Sam and Janet had mixed feelings on - which subconsciously quickened the team's pace in their search. 

They arrived at their destination in just over an hour. The scans hadn't quite done justice to the size, or appearance of the ravine. Tangles of thorns and all kinds of flora carpeted the steep sides, leading down to a small stream running gently over rocks and stones. "There!" Teal'c's voice broke through Sam's admiration of the area and she followed his line of sight.

Janet led the way down the side of the ravine, avoiding the thorns and other dangers - as yet unnamed - until they reached a flat platform.

"Daniel?" she shouted. No answer came from the immobile form just metres away from them. Janet reached out and now saw that it clearly was Daniel. His face was grazed and he led in a small puddle of his own dried blood. Sam cringed at what she saw. Teal'c stood in his usual stoic form, but clearly concerned for his team-mate. "Daniel?" Janet tried again, and o her relief, Daniel's eyes flickered open.

Blurred faces filled his vision; three of them. Something inside him was afraid, but the aching that possessed his body at every conceivable part overruled his fear and he concentrated on the kind-sounding female voice that was trying to tell him something: "...move?" he stared up and his vision became slightly sharper, the blur slowly retreating. He stared at the face that had just spoken, willing the sound again. It came; "Daniel! Can you move?"

She gave him a moment to hear, and for his brain to register and interpret the words. Daniel used all the strength he had to force himself to roll over. He jumped slightly as he felt the contact of hands on him, making it easier for him to attempt to stand.

Sam grabbed Daniel's left arm as his legs faltered and he stumbled forward. Janet helped from the right, pulling Daniel up slowly and allowing him to test the strength of his legs.

Daniel used his strength - what little he had - to hold his Balance, as the four of them began the long journey back to the 'gate. 

After only a short while, Daniel's legs began to once again buckle beneath him, and the two women fought to keep him upright until the thought of simply dragging Daniel back to Earth was not worth thinking about.

"Teal'c, can you take my place?" Janet asked. Without a word, Teal'c switched places and Janet moved to stand in front of Daniel, holding his head up gently in her hand. His eyes were half closed and the wound on his left temple was beginning to bleed again slightly. "Daniel, open your eyes," she ordered. He blinked softly but made no attempt to comply. Janet raised her voice, "Daniel, open your eyes and keep them open. You can't afford to sleep now!

The sharpness of her voice jolted Daniel and he stared back at her with fear-wide eyes.

"That's better." She smiled briefly at him before looking to Sam and Teal'c. "We have to hurry. He won't stay awake much longer."

*****

Jack sat back in his chair, sighing. His fourth bottle of beer dangled from his right hand – this one almost empty. He sat forward again, unable to relax, and clumsily put down the bottle on the edge of the table to his right. He stood and walked to the window, staring out at nothing in particular. His fists clenched by his sides, fighting back the urge to scream. He gasped suddenly, looking down to his hands and seeing the four crescent-shaped imprints he had forced into each palm. He took a deep breath and tuned his back on the window, staring at the clock; it had been six hours since he had been relieved of duty, and each minute had crawled by. He picked up his bottle again, taking a swig from it and attempting to calm himself down. The almost silent ticking of the clock screamed at him and he turned away, his blood boiling, and hurtled the bottle towards the wall. It hit, shattering into a thousand pieces and staining the carpet below in the stench of alcohol with what had remained in the bottle. Jack turned away and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on as he slammed the front door and made his way to the car. He started the engine up and sped down the road. Horns blared at him as he drove through red traffic lights, and screeches reached his ears several times. He glanced in his mirror each time and sped up.

*****

"Incoming wormhole."

Hammond made his way to the control room. SG-1 or, rather, what was left of it, were due back.

"Receiving SG-1's IDC."

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered. The iris spiraled open in response and he waited, his eyes fixed on the event horizon as one, two, three people emerged, followed by a fourth: Teal'c. Hammond grabbed the microphone, "Doctor Frasier?"

"He's alive," she announced as a medical team arrived. She and Sam lifted Daniel on to the gurney and Janet followed the team to the Infirmary.

Daniel felt the soft cover beneath him and smiled weakly, closing his eyes and ignoring the muffled shouts that seemed to be directed towards him.


End file.
